December 23, 2024 (Part II)
It’s about a 30-minute drive from the Victoria Falls Lodge to the Zimbabwe-Botswana border. We are advised that pictures are not allowed. When we arrive, our luggage will be transferred to our new escort’s rig while we are getting our passports stamped. It all goes very smoothly. We step outside ready to climb into the new van only to discover…
It’s not a van; it’s an open-air jeep! Our driver insists that Aunt Dori should sit in the front seat next to him (here she goes again!!). The rest of us haul ourselves up into the back while our luggage is thrown into the furthest seats.
We’ve been told that when we cross into Botswana, we’ll need to stop to treat our shoes for the Monkey Pox virus. All of us have multiple pairs of shoes, but we’re told to just have the pair we’re wearing and one additional pair handy when we cross the border. We’re instructed to exit the vehicle with just the shoes we’re wearing, walk through the bleach infused water, pass through the passport check, and then make our way to Passport Control, where we may have to answer a few questions before getting our passports stamped and moving on. Our driver, Mike, tells Aunt Dori to stay in the vehicle while he takes care of her shoes. Talk about a princess!! When the rest of us get to the Passport Control building Mike brings us water and shares that he has told Aunt Dori not to leave the vehicle or talk to anyone. He gives us her passport to be stamped and tells us what to say if anyone asks. Turns out Mike was raised by his grandmother and has a very high regard for “older” women. We get through Passport Control without incident – and Aunt Dori never leaves the vehicle or speaks to anyone. Well done! Until…
There’s one more check point to clear before we can actually enter Botswana. This is where our second pair of shoes is put through the bleach solution. As Mike is preparing to move on, the guard asks him to open one of the suitcases…and then another…and then another…Ken is the designated suitcase opener, rifling through each bag for the guard to see what is there. Each additional pair of shoes is removed and put through the solution. We’re all holding our breath waiting for them to demand some high monetary fine or refuse us entry into the country. Fortunately, neither happens, and we’re eventually sent on our much-relieved way.
After a short distance on the paved road, Mike slows down and turns off onto a dirt road. Before long he announces we are just seven minutes from our lodge. Seven minutes? Really? This is NOTHING here…where are you taking us???
We approach an electric fence with barbed wire; the gate opens automatically, and we pass through. We’re waiting, waiting…and then we see it. Wow!!!
We are greeted by staff waving and singing us a welcome song, handing out hot towels and ushering us in to our private briefing.
During the briefing, we receive delicious honey-ginger refreshments, get the lay of the land and meet the man who will be our guide for the remainder of our time here, Kux. Our breath is taking away at the beauty before us.
Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero Lodge is located on the edge of Chobe National Park on a hill overlooking the Chobe River, with views of islands, floodplains and the Namibian countryside on the opposite bank. It’s vibe is total chill.
After our briefing we are shown to our rooms (read “houses”). Aunt Dori has her own one-bedroom chateau; Ken and Pam find themselves in an enormous two-bedroom. A leisurely lunch and it was off on our first game drive.
Kux asked what we wanted to see, and Aunt Dori did not hesitate: giraffes! “I’ve seen enough elephants!” she told him. Unfortunate for Kux because elephants are the one thing he’s certain he can deliver. Established in 1967 Chobe has the highest concentration of elephants in all of Africa, an estimated 50,000 of them across its 4,300-mile area. But Kux did not disappoint. He found Aunt Dori her giraffes and a whole lot more!
There were lots and lots and LOTS of impalas. There were elephants of all genders and sizes, including a baby about 2 months old who could barely get his mom to stand still long enough for him (her?) to nurse. It was so cute! None of us had ever seen elephants frolic in the mud like these guys did and it was so fun watching them rolling around in wrestling matches, vying for the best spot and just so thoroughly enjoying themselves.
We saw a “mob” of mongoose, crocodiles, a leopard tortoise…
…the largest troop of baboons we’d ever seen in our lives. They were headed down to the river for a drink, and they just kept coming and coming and coming. A baboon troop can have as few as 5 members or as many as 250-300, with the average troop size being around 50. We’re thinking this troop may have had closer to that 250 number. There were a LOT! It was interesting to see how they broke into groups, with different baboons taking responsibility for making sure no one got left behind.
And, of course, the giraffes. There were only two, but they were there!
We were required to be out of the park no later than 7:00 p.m. and after taking time during the drive to be sure we saw as much as possible, Kux was now hoofing it to be sure we were out on time. We got back to the Lodge just in time to get our salad course in before the show started – more traditional music and dance, but on a much smaller scale than the night before. This time Karen and Pam got in on the action.
Afterwards there was a traditional African BBQ around the firepit. It was beautiful and serene and delicious…
But bugs in Africa are no joke! There were roaches in Zimbabwe large enough to carry your house away, and Botswana has these enormous black beetles that turn into kamikaze jets when they fly. Giant moths were eager to share our dinner during the bar-b-q.
Following dinner, we were all escorted back to our rooms. The electric fence surrounding the property is meant to keep wild animals out, but apparently it is no match for the wily and seriously aggressive Honey Badger who will all but eat you alive if you cross his path, or the occasional leopard that may jump the fence in pursuit of its prey, or the poisonous snakes that may be slithering on the ground…hey, wait a minute. This sounds just like Michael’s (Pam and Ken’s son-in-law) description of Florida, where everything wants to hurt you, kill you or eat you. No wonder we’re so at home here!
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